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Summary This position requires a highly skilled Sonographer with a comprehensive, specialized education in the medical and technical aspects of diagnostic cardiac sonography. This position is located with the Specialty Service line working under the Chief of Medicine, Cardiologist and Cardiopulmonary coordinator at the Martinsburg, WV, VAMC. Responsibilities Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties may include but are not limited to; Independently perform diagnostic tests, provide patient education, and act as a liaison and information source for the patient and family, nursing staff and medical staff. Responsible for the delivery of professional services and the provision of high-quality patient care in the Echo Lab. Review performance for quality and accuracy. Performs cardiac ultrasound (echocardiograms) autonomously to acquire the maximum diagnostic image quality. All echocardiograms include M-mode, two-dimensional and doppler examinations Performs portable ultrasound procedures on the patients who cannot be transported to the department. Maintains logs and controls. Manipulates high technology ultrasound equipment in the production of diagnostic images Receives patients and explains the procedure. Positions the patient in sitting, recumbent, prone or oblique position in the echocardiographic laboratory or by the bedside. Positions the transducer to the thorax, or body part under examination, using contact real time imaging techniques. Must have basic understanding of computer operations, including the operation of alphanumeric keyboard input, in order to select various programs to best demonstrate cardiac structures or body parts, in different positions, and to prepare equipment for operation, and to change imaging modalities as conditions warrant on different ultrasound systems. Assesses and interprets cardiac structures and blood flow during doppler studies. Operates various items of photographic equipment to record oscilloscope images. Operates videotape recorder and/or digital recorder to maintain a record for physician interpretation and for future reference. Operates continuous wave doppler with color flow mapping. Trains other staff including physicians and medical students, relevant to ultrasound such as appearance and functions of various systems and the physical abnormalities. Performs basic maintenance of ultrasound equipment on a regular basis and notifies supervisor of any equipment problems. Maintains adequate stock of equipment. Consults with cardiologist and/or physician regarding interpretation of echo testing results. Schedules and prioritizes patients for echocardiograms studies. Screens echo consults to determine if patient requires urgent evaluation. Maintains patient log upon completion of exam. Labels videotape of completed exam. Provides a preliminary report of the echocardiogram prior to review by cardiologist and/or physician. Files completed reports in appropriate locations and maintains a copy of all exams within the Cardiopulmonary Department. Receives information and keep abreast of new developments in the field and makes recommendations as to how improvements might be made to operate the section. Other tasks/duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Full time. Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized. Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized. Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 22163F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Qualifications Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Education: There are no specific educational requirements for this occupation. Education may be substituted for experience only at the GS-4 and GS-5 levels. Licensure or Certification: Licensure or Certification is not required for this occupation; however, it is strongly desirable at GS-6 or above as evidence of possession of the essential knowledge, skills, and abilities. (For all specialties identified in this standard, Basic and Advanced Cardiac Life Support certifications are desirable. Training which does not result in official certification does not meet this definition.) Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. English Language Proficiency: Medical Instrument Technicians must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part. Grade Determinations: GS-8 Medical Instrument Technician (Echocardiography). Full Performance Level: (a) Experience: At least one (1) year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level (GS-7) which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics related to the duties of the position to be filled. This would be experience which provided the overall knowledge, skills, and abilities to conduct diagnostic echocardiography examinations in complex and unusual cases. GS-7 Experience includes: Ability to scan transthoracic echocardiograms in all views with colorflow and some Doppler. Ability to conduct cardiac testing to determine the severity and variety of cardiac problems, i.e., valvular dysfunction, myocardial wall kinesia, effusions, endocardial lesions, etc. Knowledge of the set-up for transesophageal echocardiograms. Ability to set up and adjust the ultrasound equipment to meet the conditions of the examination and the patient and to operate the equipment for more complex, but standardized procedures (b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Ability to produce diagnostic quality images and Doppler frequency shift recordings using M-mode, two-dimensional, pulsed and continuous wave Doppler spectral display, and colorflow Doppler imaging. Knowledge of normal echocardiographic findings and deviations produced by a wide variety of cardiovascular diseases. Ability to perform complex procedures such as cardiac studies of the four chambers of the heart and valves using sector scanning techniques to detect stenotic and incompetent valves, chamber enlargement, and pericardial effusion and cardiovascular studies deriving pressure gradients across obstructed valves, etc. Ability to perform complementary ultrasonic examinations (including noninvasive) transthoracic, Bubble studies and contrast echocardiography, (invasive) stress echocardiography, and transesophageal echocardiography. Ability to adapt transducer positioning, instrument controls, and examination techniques to the individual patient being studied and the problem being evaluated including recognizing pertinent abnormalities and documenting abnormal findings. (c) Certification: No certification or registration is required. Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certifications are desirable for applicants at this level. (d) Assignment: This represents the full performance level. Echocardiography technicians at this level identify and record anomalies indicative of disease, injury, or other medically significant condition from ultrasound imaging and simultaneous recordings of the Doppler. They incorporate the causes and results of a variety of symptoms and conditions into a plan of ultrasonic diagnostic examination. They change and develop sounding techniques to accommodate such variables as limited patient mobility, variation in physical condition or dimension of the patient, presence of prosthesis or foreign objects, and ultrasonic response of different body parts. They produce diagnostic quality images and Doppler frequency recordings using M-Mode, two-dimensional, and Doppler ultrasound. Preferred Experience: Certification by the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) and Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI) with 1-3 years as a cardiac sonographer is preferred. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-8. Physical Requirements: The physical requirements of the position (i.e. standing, bending, stooping, sitting, pulling, pushing, etc.) Requires standing, bending stooping, sitting, pulling and pushing patients must be able to perform gross and fine coordinated hand movements. Education There are no specific educational requirements for this occupation. Education may be substituted for experience only at the GS-4 and GS-5 levels Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.